Reid: Romney is guilty of my evidence-free accusations until he proves himself innocent; Update: Repeats accusation on floor of Senate

posted at 9:51 am on August 2, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Let’s see if we can get the Democratic Party philosophy of late correct. Unless a business owner foots the entire bill for his employees’ contraceptives, he must pay ruinous fines even when his religious practice forbids participating in contraception and sterilization. Similarly, business owners who want to open a restaurant in places like Chicago and Boston have to publicly vow to support the Democratic Party’s agenda and stop allying with groups that oppose it, or else have mayors and councilmen threaten to put the business owners out of business. And if a Democratic Party leader accuses you of a crime with no evidence whatsoever, you are expected to be considered guilty unless you prove yourself innocent.

We noted yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the Huffington Post that what he claimed was a Bain Capital investor had called him to say Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for ten years – without saying who told him this, or what basis there was for the claim.

Earlier today, he doubled down on the unsubstantiated claim with reporters in Nevada:

“I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. “I have had a number of people tell me that.”

Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.”

“I don’t think the burden should be on me,” Reid said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”

Really? Is that how it works in the US? A government official accuses someone of a felony, and the burden of proof falls on the accused? Funny, I missed that in my civics class.

Note too that the number of sources has magically grown from one person — supposedly an “insider” in Bain, who would have had no access to Romney’s personal tax information in the first place — to “a number of people.” Who were these people, Senator? What was the “number” of sources you have for this accusation? And how, pray tell, did they have access to Romney’s private tax information? The answers to these questions, I suspect, will come from the same source that Reid used in the first place — his own rear end.

First we have Democratic mayors in Boston and Chicago acting like thugs, and now we’re getting McCarthyism from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In three short weeks, the Democratic Party has utterly disgraced itself, from its leadership on down.

Update: Jon Stewart ripped Reid on last night’s show for the original accusation, but mostly for the addendum that George Romney would be “embarrassed” over the issue:

Stewart said Reid was just throwing around ridiculous speculations that he “pulled out of [his] ass” over Romney’s taxes, remarking that wild, irresponsible speculation over what is in Romney’s taxes is more the job of a late night comic than a sitting senator.

But, as Stewart noted, “people throw around baseless accusations all the time” in political campaigns without having the facts to back them up. What makes Reid particularly terrible in this case? Stewart highlighted Reid’s comment that George Romney would be “embarrassed” for what his son is doing. This led Stewart to make a slight change to the segment title: “You, Harry Reid, Are Really, Really Terrible.” Stewart tore into Reid for playing the “dead card.”

But Reid has a little list of one! – no, seven! – no, fourteen! – no, eight! – sources for this claim that he can’t name. Doesn’t that count for anything?

UpdateII: Reid just repeated the accusation on the floor of the Senate:

He’s refused to release his tax returns, as we know. If a person coming before this body wanted to be a cabinet officer, he couldn’t be if he did the same refusal Mitt Romney does about tax returns. So the word’s out that he hasn’t paid any taxes for ten years. Let him prove that he has paid taxes, because he hasn’t. We already know from one partial tax return that he gave us, he has money hidden in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and a Swiss bank account. Not making that up, that’s in the partial year that he gave us. Mitt Romney makes more money in a single day than the average middle-class family makes in two years–or more.

I know that the term “Senate ethics” is often an oxymoron, but doesn’t accusing a political opponent from the Senate floor of a felony without offering a shred of proof violate some kind of ethics rule? “The word’s out” refers only to Harry Reid and Harry Reid alone. Not only is this despicable and grossly irresponsible, it should be actionable in court.

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This is ethically and morally bankrupt and Harry Reid is a POS, but Romney is a big boy and can handle this.

Personally and with the above comment in mind, I love this.

MOAR PLEEZ.

The internals must just be devastating. After the reaction of yesterday with people supporting ChickFilA this is the best SQUIRREL! they can offer? Dingy Harry making baseless and idiotic comments on the senate floor?

Wow. This is going to be a most interesting three months.

Keep going people, show the country and the world exactly what you are made of.

At any rate, if Romney can prove he paid taxes — without having to release his records — it’s a big win for Romney.

MaxMBJ on August 2, 2012 at 12:22 PM

The depth of inanity here simply burns.

The IRS has already reviewed this guys income tax returns over and over again for any whiff of illegality. To suppose the IRS is sitting on the sidelines waiting to get a request to audit Romney’s tax returns again is just being thick. In Reid’s case, he’s simply beclowning himself.

he’s not accusing him of a criminal act. paying no income tax is not illegal if your employment status, deductions, etc dont provide for it. dingy harry knows that, and he knows that romney has prolly paid more in capital gains and other taxes than dingy harry has made through all his illegal land deals. thats the response the romney camp should make, have a surrogate question dingy harry’s rise to power through land deal.s

The Hatefilled Liberal Democrat Left is trying to incite a civil war in this country… the military used to be pretty Republican but how much of it is anymore? If you don’t own guns I suggest you get them soon because if not, you will be at the mercy of OWS and brownshirt types….

I agree that Reid has access to Romney’s taxes but the info he is trying to flush out is not that he hasn’t paid taxes (because I’m pretty sure he has) but it’s the amount that his fellow Morman has given to the church… that’s what he’s trying to get out. Why they think that is a winner for them is mind boggling…

If Romney has done something illegal with his taxes in the 10 year span Reid is suggesting my guess is the IRS would have already caught up with him. I am tired of these desperate attempts of innuendo on the Democrats’ part. If Reid has something then let’s see it. I am against Romney constantly having to play defense against every baseless charge these idiots dream up. On the other hand if Romney is hiding anything like this he is toast. I find it difficult to believe Romney would put himself in that position knowing how ruthless the political game is. If the press questions him about it, all he should say is he has no problem with Reid making public the specific facts he has. Let Reid do the legwork on these accusations. Geesh, these Democrats are so feakin immature. It’s like grade school playground gossip with them.

This is ethically and morally bankrupt and Harry Reid is a POS, but Romney is a big boy and can handle this.

Personally and with the above comment in mind, I love this.

MOAR PLEEZ.

The internals must just be devastating. After the reaction of yesterday with people supporting ChickFilA this is the best SQUIRREL! they can offer? Dingy Harry making baseless and idiotic comments on the senate floor?

Wow. This is going to be a most interesting three months.

Keep going people, show the country and the world exactly what you are made of.

kim roy on August 2, 2012 at 12:53 PM

Yep, the gifts) that keep on giving. Obama’s campaign desperation might have rich a climax and a ne low if this is not oxymoronic :)….I think he knows he’s toadt and they got to a point wher they are throwing everything at the wall…smells DESPERADO!!! Obama’s campaign reminds me poor mclame campaign 4 years ago….

OK. Last 10 years? That includes 2010, right? Romney paid slightly over $3 million in income taxes in 2010. He did receive a refund, but that’s because he had paid estimates and other amounts that exceeded his tax liability.

Sorry, but you’re thinking of someone else. My concern is that this charge doesn’t get traction. Attacking Reid is one way to do that. Releasing evidence (not necessarily entire tax forms) that Romney did indeed pay taxes is another.

Frankly, I think democrats just shot themselves here. I mean seriously, there are ways you can prove you paid taxes without releasing tax returns, and if Jon Stewert thinks these attacks are dirty and unethical then you can take it to the bank that even most on the left aren’t going to be receptive.

OK. Last 10 years? That includes 2010, right? Romney paid slightly over $3 million in income taxes in 2010. He did receive a refund, but that’s because he had paid estimates and other amounts that exceeded his tax liability.

Not only is this despicable and grossly irresponsible, it should be actionable in court.

And how can the IRS not investigate who is supposedly leaking this to Reid? That would be a crime. I say that Reid should be sweated in a hot airless room like you would interrogate any common street thug.

Sorry, but you’re thinking of someone else. My concern is that this charge doesn’t get traction. Attacking Reid is one way to do that. Releasing evidence (not necessarily entire tax forms) that Romney did indeed pay taxes is another.

MaxMBJ on August 2, 2012 at 1:04 PM

Congratulations for falling for all of those LameStreamMedia talking points. You must be so proud.

Well I heard from somebody that Harry Reid takes kickbacks from the Casino owners and that he launders the money, prove me wrong Dirty Harry.
I wonder if he could pass the test of 20 years of tax audits.

You should go online and look at Obummers taxes especially 2010 2011 not sure which one but he made over 1M in foreign investments and sure didn’t pay much tax, they are very interesting, and his poor mother that was so poor, well his grandma wasn’t nearly 1/2M in inheritance for little bammy.

I’ve heard allegations that Harry Reid accepted bribes of casino chips and hookers while he was Nevada Gaming Commissioner 30 years ago. When he decided he wanted to move up in Nevada politics, he arranged to put on a show for the FBI. Jack Gordon, who knew Reid had to be bribed for a casino owner to get anywhere in Las Vegas, decided to offer Reid a $12k bribe to install new casino games. Reid recorded this conversation and turned it over to the FBI. He then staged massive mock outrage for FBI by attempting to strangle Gordon when the feds burst in to arrest him, shouting, “You sonofabitch, Gordon! You tried to bribe me.”

Some of this is documented as being true, the rest I may or may not have evidence for. It’s up to Harry Reid to prove me wrong.

Romney should publicly ask Reid to say WHICH ten years Reid believes Romney didn’t pay taxes. Then release tax returns for one of those years to prove Reid a liar.

Steve Z on August 2, 2012 at 12:55 PM

No, that is playing the filthy rats game. Romney needs to come out and demand an investigation how it is that Reid is getting ANY information about Romney’s tax returns. If it is just heresay, Reid needs to name names. If he has actual documents he needs to explain where he got them.

Romney should make it clear that the presumption of innocence will still be a valid principle when he becomes President and that he will not be releasing any more tax returns to the public.

And how can the IRS not investigate who is supposedly leaking this to Reid? That would be a crime. I say that Reid should be sweated in a hot airless room like you would interrogate any common street thug.

Happy Nomad on August 2, 2012 at 1:07 PM

If the IRS looks into their records and see Romney paid his taxes, then there is no leak, it’s just someone lying and it’s not there issue. Reid knows this. In fact, telling the truth about this would be much more dangerous for him than lying.

He is allows to lie from the Senate floor – it’s protected, he can say anything at all there.

Romney may have earned more income in one year than most average Americans do but he also paid in a whole lot more taxes than the average American does in many, many years.

As for ‘hiding’ income, I guess it wasn’t hidden very well if it was listed right there in his income tax return. Honestly, these libs are just so inept at everything they do (other than lying).

10-years would go back and cross over the time periods for which Romney already supposedly gave tax return copies to McCain. This has been confirmed by McCain. So, if those returns existed then this new baseless claim has just been proven false.

Romney should file a libel suit against Harry Reid before the day ends.

Sorry, but you’re thinking of someone else. My concern is that this charge doesn’t get traction. Attacking Reid is one way to do that. Releasing evidence (not necessarily entire tax forms) that Romney did indeed pay taxes is another.

MaxMBJ on August 2, 2012 at 1:04 PM

Sorry if I mistook ou fo someone else….and I disagree, enough is enough, the law requires him to show 1 year of his tax returns, he showed that and more …he’ll show this year tax returns too…the dimtards will always move the goalpost, what next, they will want to see the ovulation chart since the times he and his wife were conceiving???…seriously, it will never be enough for the Dems, and they shoul be mocked, taunted and starved at this point, don’t you see this is just a distraction, they have nothing else to run on..i say this is the biggest gift to the Romney campaign, let the dimtards agonize over this and predicate their entire campaign on Romney’s taxes, you know how this sounds like to the average voter: DESPERATION. They polled people on this, guess what, around 60% said his taxes are not an issue (guess who the other 40 vote for anyways :) , the economy is..people are not stupid, they know Romney is a rich man, and they also know that a private investor and a private equity business has been audited hundreds of times, also the IRS woold have known if someone of his stature didn’t paid taxes and would have been after him (how do you explain that they don’t leak docs and stuff, if they had evidence, they would have) all this is a non-issue for Romney, only he dimtards care about this, guess what, they are not his target voter segment…

My friend the IRS agent told me in exchange for Romneys tax returns going back 10 years Dingy harry had to give up the names addresses and phone tap er phone numbers of all the Mob bosses on his roladex and their mistresses too.
Dingy must have really wanted Mitts returns badly!

10-years would go back and cross over the time periods for which Romney already supposedly gave tax return copies to McCain. This has been confirmed by McCain. So, if those returns existed then this new baseless claim has just been proven false.

Romney should file a libel suit against Harry Reid before the day ends.

HoosierStateofMind on August 2, 2012 at 1:23 PM

i think mcCain should weigh in at this point, get there, on the senate floor and debunk Reid’s lies…he saw 10 years of Romney tax returns, then expose fhe liar who runs the senate and who said that Romney didn’t pay any taxes the past 10 years…then what the heck was in those tax returns???

We already know from one partial tax return that he gave us, he has money hidden in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and a Swiss bank account. Not making that up, that’s in the partial year that he gave us.

So he is basically admitting that the stuff in the partial tax return is actually there and the part about not paying taxes for 10 years was made up. Got it.

i think mcCain should weigh in at this point, get there, on the senate floor and debunk Reid’s lies…he saw 10 years of Romney tax returns, then expose fhe liar who runs the senate and who said that Romney didn’t pay any taxes the past 10 years…then what the heck was in those tax returns???

jimver on August 2, 2012 at 1:34 PM

I respectfully disagree! Mitt should avoid the maverick at all costs, refuse to answer the phone and or return his repeated phone calls lest the greasy old panderer sink Romneys battleship.

Leave foghorn leghorn McStupid to his imaginary friends and his delusions of relevance.

Once a McCain opens its maw its hard to say what might dribble out and that goes for the greasy old man and his spawn.

i think mcCain should weigh in at this point, get there, on the senate floor and debunk Reid’s lies…he saw 10 years of Romney tax returns, then expose fhe liar who runs the senate and who said that Romney didn’t pay any taxes the past 10 years…then what the heck was in those tax returns???

jimver on August 2, 2012 at 1:34 PM

I respectfully disagree! Mitt should avoid the maverick at all costs, refuse to answer the phone and or return his repeated phone calls lest the greasy old panderer sink Romneys battleship.

Leave foghorn leghorn McStupid to his imaginary friends and his delusions of relevance.

Once a McCain opens its maw its hard to say what might dribble out and that goes for the greasy old man and his spawn.

Now if he asked Sarah to vouch for him as Veep that would be cool with CK

Wouldn’t it be a hoot if Romney has tax returns showing he is a great philanthropist and he’s deliberately having operatives whispering scandal in Donks ears just to set up an October surprize release of his tax statements.

You make good points. Maybe I’m overly sensitive. I just don’t think I can handle four more years of The One. Polls have seemed to slip ever so slightly the last couple days. So I’m skittish. Plus, if Romney could publicly prove he’s paid taxes without releasing statements, then we’d have a great new TV ad waiting: Harry Reid on the floor of the Senate with his lie, the “long form” response, and finally the voiceover: “Do you really want to re-elect a team that will slander their opponents on the Senate floor?”

Man, this is SO pathetic!! And what is worse is that there is sheeple out there just drinking it down! Whether you are for or against Romney commonsense (I know there is a shortage) should win out here. If I was a Democrat, I would be hiding my face to know that Reid and I were in the same party and others in my party believed him! Reid just made his party look more pathetic and desperate.

All I know is that John Adams (who referred to his defense of British soldiers after the Boston Massacre in 1770 as “one of the most gallant, generous, manly, and disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country”http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/bostonmassacre/keyfigures.html ) would be ASHAMED of Senator Harry Reid!

I respectfully disagree! Mitt should avoid the maverick at all costs, refuse to answer the phone and or return his repeated phone calls lest the greasy old panderer sink Romneys battleship.

Leave foghorn leghorn McStupid to his imaginary friends and his delusions of relevance.

Once a McCain opens its maw its hard to say what might dribble out and that goes for the greasy old man and his spawn.

Now if he asked Sarah to vouch for him as Veep that would be cool with CK

ConcealedKerry on August 2, 2012 at 1:40 PM

This is true, mclame is unpredictable and pretty erratic, god knows what monumental gaffe might come up with, more or less ‘unintentional’ :)…what I meant though it wasn’t something like a coordinated Romney campaign move, I was just thinking that mclame saw those tax returns and it’s more like a gentleman defending another gentleman’s honor, all he could di is go on the senate floor and say ‘i saw those, so shut up about he didn’t pay any taxes’ etc… and shut DIngy HArry up, that’s all….but, I give you that, given mclame’s propensity for blunders, you never know what might come out of his mouth spontaneously :)…

First Hussein Obama runs off overseas and blows up the Olympics gig for Chitown and all the mobsters union buddies then Dingy harry forks over their phones numbers and those of their mistresses for wire taps,er, ah, for mitts income tax returns going back 10 years

McCain has to come forward and squash this. He’s seen the returns. If he doesn’t it lends credibility to it.

Note: Reid won’t go on record with which years Romney allegedly didn’t pay. So even if Romney did release the last ten years, Reid would say… it was a different ten years. It’s pathetic that the press wouldn’t push him on that.

Can we all not go to las vegas until after the election for nevada foisting this @$$ on us? I will pass it buy and not even buy gas in the stupid state.
After all we would only be doing what obama wants us to do.

When the market collapsed in 2007. Romney might have a lot of capital losses against capital gain. He also had charitable deductions along with him pouring 35 millions dollars of his own money into his failed campaign. It might not be surprising that he had no net taxable income and therefore legally had no tax liability.

Ann Coulter had pointed out the history of Barry exploiting confidential personal information for personal destruction. The question is where did Barry/Axelrod/Harry Reid get hold of those confidential tax information.The country should be alarmed by their extra-legal and dirty tactics.

I know that the term “Senate ethics” is often an oxymoron, but doesn’t accusing a political opponent from the Senate floor of a felony without offering a shred of proof violate some kind of ethics rule?

He is the Senate Leader. I assume he is untouchable without at least sixty Senators challenging him. That may be why he was chosen to deliver the Big Lie. Anyone else would be sanctioned, including Princess Nancy.

I just contacted Harry Reid’s office and got his voice mail. I told him that I found his remarks reprehensible. I also added that if it is okay for him to accuse Romney of a crime without proof, then maybe he would like to address charges out there concerning him, charges that he is a crook who uses his office and his ties with the mob to enrich himself..Of course he could answer some of those charges if he would release his own tax returns.

McCain has to come forward and squash this. He’s seen the returns. If he doesn’t it lends credibility to it.

Note: Reid won’t go on record with which years Romney allegedly didn’t pay. So even if Romney did release the last ten years, Reid would say… it was a different ten years. It’s pathetic that the press wouldn’t push him on that.

Heywood U. Reedmore on August 2, 2012 at 2:07 PM

To hear Harry Reid tell it, Romney might not have even filed…BTW, McCain did come forward and he said there was nothing in those tax returns that would cause Romney a problem, they were fine.

Came to this thread late, but the obvious course of action should be for members of the congress to demand Harry Reid’s resignation. It’s that simple and that necessary. He’s always been an embarrassment to honest Americans, but he’s really slipped down the greasy slope of lunacy to think he can pull this kind of crap on the floor of the senate. He’s lost control of his faculties and that’s further evidenced by his inability and/or unwillingness to do his duty as the senate leader. Of course I think he should have resigned after his crazy ‘this war is lost’ rant, but I guess that’s not unAmerican enough for the dems. He’s just a sad old fool and it’s even sadder that America has to suffer his access to power. Thanks again to the corrupt unions of Nevada for reelecting ‘their’ crazy uncle Harry.

So what would happen is a GOP Senator with the cojones (asking a lot, I know) gets up on the Senate floor and makes some similarly outrageous claim and charge against Reid? Is there a Senator who would do it?